About

SUPR Map is an open-source mapping tool that aims to support communities with gathering information about the qualities of place. SUPR Map seeks to integrate local knowledge about places into city and regional planning efforts, although can be extended to any set of place-based challenges that require spatially-explicit information. Through the creation of an online survey, SUPR Map enables communities to tailor specific or general questions that have relevance to place, including questions about the qualities of a place that need improvement, preservation, or change. As a participatory appraisal tool, SUPR Map can solicit information about the built and natural environment, and the perceptions of its use, utility, and significance. The local knowledge generated by SUPR Map is translated into spatial information by using a publicly available mapping platform and a PSU server system.

Interested in the participatory mapping processes?

We recommend a six-step approach to administering SUPR Map to a community of interest:

Step 1: Identifying a topic and physical area of interest.

Step 2: Identify an audience or community of interest.

Step 3: Create an account by registering or logging-in to SUPR Map.

Step 4: Develop a survey that addresses the area and topic of interest.

Step 5: Administer the survey: through fact-to-face contact using a workshop setting and/or through sending the web link to the target audience.

Step 6: Analyze your results - Results can be analyzed using SUPR Maps spatial tools and/or downloading to ESRI Arc Map as a shape file. The outcome of analysis will follow the original topic of interest.

As a illustration of these steps, we offer a few case studies for understanding how SUPR Map has been applied in various setting. With the continued use of SUPR Map, these case studies will grow, and its application will diversify.

SUPR Map was produced by Dr. Vivek Shandas at Portland State University’s Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, with all rights reserved.